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IS truly comic ; and they are heightened by flight corporeal defeds, 

 and called out and illuflrated in a variety of crofs adventures 

 and petty misfortunes. 



For the fake of perfpicuity I fliall rank blunders in speak- 

 ing AND ACTING in a diftind clafs of the ridiculous, being the 

 fifth, of what I fliould call the intrinfically ridiculous, or incon- 

 gruity in the words, adions or thoughts of men. Yet this is 

 but a baftard clafs ; for it will appear, on examination of every 

 individual circumftance belonging to it, that they may be referred 

 to one or other of thofe preceding. 



Though I have hitherto confidcred and treated the fources 

 of the ridiculous, as if ridicule were fomething ftable and cer- 

 tain, nothing in fad can be more variable and fluduating in its 

 nature. Things appear ridiculous or not according to the edu- 

 cation, courfe of life, conftitution and temper of the obferver, 

 which vary his notions of propriety, perfedion and order on the 

 one hand, and of indecorum, defed and incongruity on the other. 

 Virtue, religiof^ truth, honour, every thing ferious and venerable, 

 have and daily -do become fubjeds of ridicule among certain 

 imhappy claffcs of men. The vulgar will laugh at many coarfe 

 jefts and indelicate allufions, wTiile perfons of a more happy 

 education and refined tafte will be fliocked at fuch mirth as 

 inhuman and indecent. One man may receive as facetious 

 obfervations what would offend his neighbour as daring im- 

 pieties j but wherever a laugh is produced it invariably proceeds 



from 



